Data collecting device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a data collecting device that collects data to be monitored in a plant. The data collecting device includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit executes: sequentially acquiring process data measured by a sensor; calculating an elapsed time from the acquisition start time of the acquired process data on the basis of the sampling rate of the sensor; storing the process data and the calculated elapsed time from the acquisition start time of the process data in a storage device in association with each other; sequentially acquiring image data captured by a camera; calculating an elapsed time from the acquisition start time of the acquired image data on the basis of the frame rate of the camera; and storing the image data and the calculated elapsed time from the acquisition start time of the image data in the storage device in association with each other.

Description

Data collection device

[0001] The present invention relates to a data collection device that collects process data and image data in a system that monitors each monitoring target in a plant.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system for monitoring each monitoring target in a plant. The system collects process data and image data indicating the control state and operation state of each monitoring target.

[0003] International Publication No. 2013 / 136406

[0004] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, in a factory, process data is collected in real time from sensors. The process data is time-series numerical data that changes moment by moment. In addition, in factories, image data captured by cameras is also collected in real time.

[0005] The collected process data and image data are stored in a storage device and displayed on a monitor in response to a user's instruction. At this time, it is convenient for the user if the process data and the image data can be synchronously displayed in a short processing time.

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a data collection device that collects data of monitoring targets in a plant. The data collection device includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit sequentially acquires process data measured by a sensor, calculates an elapsed time from an acquisition start time of the acquired process data based on a sampling rate of the sensor, associates the calculated elapsed time from the acquisition start time of the process data with the process data and stores them in a storage device, sequentially acquires image data captured by a camera, calculates an elapsed time from an acquisition start time of the acquired image data based on a frame rate of the camera, and associates the calculated elapsed time from the acquisition start time of the image data with the image data and stores them in the storage device.

[0007] According to the data acquisition device disclosed herein, process data is stored in a storage device with the elapsed time from the start of acquisition associated with it. Similarly, image data is also stored in a storage device with the elapsed time from the start of acquisition associated with it. Therefore, when displaying process data and image data in a synchronized manner, by comparing the elapsed time associated with the process data and the elapsed time associated with the image data, it is possible to determine in a short processing time which sampling rate of the sequentially acquired process data corresponds to which frame rate of the sequentially acquired image data. In this way, process data and image data can be displayed in a synchronized manner quickly.

[0008] This figure shows the configuration of a data management system according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This figure shows the configuration of a data collection device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This figure shows image data and process data collected by the data collection device. This figure shows image data and process data in a comparative example. This figure illustrates the first embodiment of the display method. This figure illustrates the second embodiment of the display method.

[0009] The following describes a data acquisition device according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0010] 1. Diagram 1, which illustrates the configuration of a data management system 1 including a data acquisition device 10 according to this embodiment, shows an example of its configuration.

[0011] Data Management System 1 is a system that monitors the operating status and control status of various monitored objects in a manufacturing plant, etc. Data Management System 1 is applied, for example, to a hot rolling plant system that rolls heated iron, stainless steel, and aluminum slabs (steel billets) in a rolling mill to produce hot-rolled coils with a thickness of several mm to more than ten mm, and to a process line plant system that performs pickling, annealing, plating, painting, cutting, etc., to finish the coils produced in a hot rolling plant or cold rolling plant into final products. Examples of objects monitored by Data Management System 1 include various devices and machines included in hot rolling plant systems and process line plant systems, as well as paper machines.

[0012] The data management system 1 includes a data acquisition device 10, cameras 20-1 to 20-l (where l is a natural number), and control equipment 50-1 to 50-m (where m is a natural number), such as a programmable logic controller (PLC). These devices constituting the data management system 1 are connected to each other via a wired or wireless network so that they can communicate with one another.

[0013] Control devices 50-1 to 50-m are devices that control the operation of each monitored object, such as motors, heaters, and hydraulic machines, using a program. Information indicating the control state, operation state, etc., of the monitored objects is detected as numerical data by sensors 60-1 to 60-n (where n is a natural number). Control devices 50-1 to 50-m acquire process data, including the numerical data detected by sensors 60-1 to 60-n, in a time series at a predetermined sampling rate through the control devices 50-1 to 50-m. Cameras 20-1 to 20-m capture images of each monitored object at predetermined image frame intervals and acquire image data.

[0014] Cameras 20-1 to 20-l may be provided one per monitored object, or multiple cameras may be provided. Sensors 60-1 to 60-n may be provided one per monitored object, or multiple sensors may be provided. Acquired process data and image data are collected and managed by the data acquisition device 10.

[0015] Hereafter, when specifying a camera, the symbols 20-1, 20-2, ..., 20-l will be used, but when referring to any camera or as a general term, the symbol 20 will be used. Similarly, for control equipment, the symbol 50 will be used when referring to any control equipment or as a general term. Similarly, for sensors, the symbol 60 will be used when referring to any sensor or as a general term.

[0016] Figure 2 shows the configuration of the data acquisition device 10. The data acquisition device 10 includes a processor (processing circuit) 11, a program memory 12, a data storage memory 13, a communication module 14, and a user interface (I / F) 15. The processor 11 may be a CPU, RISC, DSP, FPGA, ASIC, PLD, or another processing unit, or a combination of two or more of these, or a dedicated processor for the data acquisition device 10. In this embodiment, there is one processor 11, but the data acquisition device 10 may have multiple processors 11.

[0017] The program memory 12 is communicatively connected to the processor 11. The program memory 12 stores a program consisting of multiple instruction INSTs that can be executed by the processor 11. The program consisting of instruction INSTs can be obtained using a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium or via a network. The processor 11 reads and executes the program stored in the program memory 12, thereby realizing each function of the data acquisition device 10. The program memory 12 may also be built into the processor 11.

[0018] The data storage memory 13 is communicatively connected to the processor 11. The data storage memory 13 temporarily stores process data acquired in time series for each sampling rate, and image data acquired in time series for each image frame. The program memory 12 and the data storage memory 13 may be composed of the same storage device, or they may be composed of different storage devices. Furthermore, the storage devices that make up the program memory 12 and the data storage memory 13 may be one or multiple. The data storage memory 13 may be built into the processor 11.

[0019] The communication module 14 is communicatively coupled to the processor 11. The communication module 14 is provided for communication with external devices. External devices include a camera 20 and control equipment 50.

[0020] The user interface 15 is an interface for displaying information to the user of the data management system 1 and for receiving user input. The user interface 15 includes a display device for displaying information, such as a monitor, and an input device for user input, such as a keyboard or mouse.

[0021] The data acquisition device 10 can synchronize and display image data acquired from the camera 20 and process data acquired from the control device 50, in accordance with user instructions. The data collected by the data acquisition device 10 will be described below.

[0022] 2. Process Data and Image Data Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the image data and process data collected by the data acquisition device 10. Image data is acquired sequentially at predetermined frame rates. The frame rate of the image data is determined for each camera 20 from which the image data is acquired. The frame rate may differ depending on the camera 20. Here, the frame rate of camera 20 is 40 ms.

[0023] When the data acquisition device 10 acquires image data, it calculates time information based on the frame rate of the camera 20. The time information includes the elapsed time from the start time when data acquisition began. For example, if the frame rate is 40 ms, the elapsed time for the image data acquired in the second frame after data acquisition began is 40 ms, and the elapsed time for the image data acquired in the third frame is 80 ms. The calculated elapsed time is linked to each image data and stored in the data storage memory 13.

[0024] Similarly, time information, including elapsed time, is calculated for process data. The sampling rate for process data is determined for each sensor 60 that measures process data. The sampling rate may differ depending on the sensor 60. When the data acquisition device 10 acquires process data, it calculates the elapsed time from the start time of data acquisition based on the sampling rate of the sensor 60. For example, here the sampling rate is 30 ms, so the elapsed time for process data acquired in the second cycle is 30 ms, and the elapsed time for process data acquired in the third cycle is 60 ms. The data acquisition device 10 stores the calculated elapsed time in the data storage memory 13, linking it to each piece of process data.

[0025] The data acquisition device 10 displays the image data and process data stored in the data storage memory 13 in a manner linked to the elapsed time, in synchronous manner according to the user's operation. Synchronized display here means playing back the data so that the image data and process data acquired at the same time are displayed on the same screen.

[0026] The user can specify the start time for playback of the data to be played back by operating the user interface 15. When the data acquisition device 10 receives the user's input to specify the playback start time, it searches the data storage memory 13 for process data corresponding to the playback start time among the process data stored therein. The data acquisition device 10 can determine which process data corresponds to the playback start time from the series of process data stored as time-series data in the data storage memory 13, based on the elapsed time associated with the process data. The data acquisition device 10 then reads the process data corresponding to the playback start time from the data storage memory 13 and displays it on the display device of the user interface 15.

[0027] Similarly, the data acquisition device 10 can determine the image data corresponding to the playback start time specified by the user, based on the elapsed time associated with the image data. The elapsed time of the image data corresponding to the playback start time is the same as the elapsed time of the synchronously displayed process data. Therefore, the data acquisition device 10 can quickly determine the image data corresponding to the playback start time based on the elapsed time. The data acquisition device 10 then reads the image data corresponding to the playback start time from the data storage memory 13 and displays it on the display device of the user interface 15. Furthermore, if the image data and process data are played back as a video, the image data and process data from the playback start time onward are also read from the data storage memory 13 and played back as time-series data.

[0028] In this way, process data and image data corresponding to the same playback time can be quickly identified, enabling efficient synchronized display with a short processing time.

[0029] Furthermore, the time information associated with image data and process data may include information about the acquisition time of each data item. That is, once the data acquisition device 10 acquires image data, it calculates the acquisition time based on the frame rate of the camera 20. For example, if the frame rate of the camera 20 is 40 ms and the acquisition start time is 12:35:00.000, then the acquisition time of the image data acquired in the second frame after the start of data acquisition is 12:35:00.040, and the acquisition time of the image data acquired in the third frame is 12:35:00.080. The calculated acquisition time, along with the elapsed time, is associated with each image data item and stored in the data storage memory 13.

[0030] Similarly, for process data, once the data acquisition device 10 acquires process data, it calculates the acquisition time based on the sampling rate of the sensor 60. For example, if the sampling rate is 30 ms and the acquisition start time is 12:35:00.000, the acquisition time for process data acquired in the second cycle is 12:35:00.030, and the acquisition time for process data acquired in the third cycle is 12:35:00.060. The data acquisition device 10 stores the calculated acquisition time in the data storage memory 13, linking it to each piece of process data.

[0031] In this case, the data acquisition device 10 can use the acquisition time to search for data when it receives a user input to specify the playback start time and displays the image data and process data in synchronous order. The data acquisition device 10 can determine which process data corresponds to the playback start time from a series of process data stored as time-series data in the data storage memory 13, based on the acquisition time associated with the process data. The data acquisition device 10 then reads the process data corresponding to the playback start time from the data storage memory 13 and displays it on the display device of the user interface 15.

[0032] Similarly, the data acquisition device 10 can determine the image data corresponding to the playback start time specified by the user, based on the acquisition time associated with the image data. The acquisition time of the image data corresponding to the playback start time is the same as the acquisition time of the process data that is displayed synchronously. Therefore, the data acquisition device 10 can quickly determine the image data corresponding to the playback start time based on the acquisition time. The data acquisition device 10 then reads the image data corresponding to the playback start time from the data storage memory 13 and displays it on the display device of the user interface 15. In this way, even when the acquisition time is associated with image data or process data, just as when elapsed time is used, it is possible to quickly determine the process data and image data corresponding to the same playback time, and synchronous display can be performed efficiently with a short processing time.

[0033] 3. Comparative Example Figure 4 shows the image data and process data collected in the comparative example. In the comparative example, when image data is acquired, it is stored in the storage device with the image data and frame number linked together. Similarly, when process data is acquired, it is stored in the storage device with the process data and sampling number linked together. The elapsed time is not linked to the process data and image data stored in the storage device.

[0034] In the comparative example, when the user specifies the playback start time, the elapsed time from the start time of acquisition of each process data stored in the memory is first calculated based on the sampling rate and the sampling number associated with each process data. Then, from the calculated elapsed time, it is determined which sampling number of process data corresponds to the playback start time, and the process data corresponding to the playback start time is read from the memory.

[0035] Next, image data, which is displayed in sync with the process data, is read from the storage device. At this point, although the sampling number of the process data is known, the frame rate of the image data is not necessarily the same as the sampling rate of the process data. Therefore, simply comparing the sampling number of the process data with the frame number of the image data does not determine which image data corresponds to the playback start time. For this reason, the elapsed time from the start of acquisition of each image data stored in the storage device is calculated based on the frame rate and the frame number associated with each image data. Then, the image data corresponding to the playback start time is determined from the calculated elapsed time.

[0036] Thus, in the comparative example, it is necessary to calculate the elapsed time for each data in order to determine the process data and image data corresponding to the playback start time. As a result, the processing time becomes long. In contrast, in this embodiment, by comparing the elapsed times already associated with each data and selecting the data with the same elapsed time, it is possible to select the process data and image data to be displayed synchronously. This eliminates the need to calculate the elapsed time during playback, so the data can be displayed synchronously quickly with a short processing time.

[0037] 4. Embodiments Regarding Display Methods Below, two embodiments of display methods for synchronized display of process data and image data on a screen will be described.

[0038] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the first embodiment. The user can select a monitoring target from the display group definition pane displayed on the user interface 15's display screen to display process data and image data in sync. The data acquisition device 10 first displays the process data as a trend graph on the screen according to the selected monitoring target. The user operates while viewing the trend graph displayed on the screen and selects a time range to focus on and display within the trend graph. A camera cursor is also displayed on the trend graph screen. The camera cursor can be moved within the selected time range and indicates the time when the image data should be displayed. After selecting the time range, when the user presses the OK button, the image data and trend graph are displayed synced on the screen. It is also possible to play the image data as a video on the synced screen.

[0039] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the second embodiment. The user can select the monitoring target and playback start time for which process data and image data to be displayed synchronously from the display group definition pane displayed on the display screen of the user interface 15. Once the monitoring target to be displayed is selected, the data acquisition device 10 directly displays a trend graph showing the process data from the corresponding sensor 60 and the image data from the corresponding camera 20 in synchronous motion on the screen.

[0040] Regarding the method of displaying on the screen, either the first or second embodiment may be selected. However, the second embodiment allows for synchronized display with simpler operation, which is more convenient for the user.

[0041] 1 Data management system 10 Data acquisition device 11 Processor 12 Program memory 13 Data storage memory 14 Communication module 15 User interface 20 Camera 50 Control equipment 60 Sensor

Claims

1. A data acquisition device for collecting data of a monitored object in a plant, comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being characterized by performing the following: sequentially acquiring process data measured by a sensor; calculating the elapsed time from the start time of acquisition of the acquired process data based on the sampling rate of the sensor; storing the calculated elapsed time from the start time of acquisition of the process data in a storage device, linking the process data; sequentially acquiring image data captured by a camera; calculating the elapsed time from the start time of acquisition of the acquired image data based on the frame rate of the camera; storing the calculated elapsed time from the start time of acquisition of the image data in a storage device, linking the image data; and displaying the process data and the image data in synchronization.

2. A data acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the synchronized display of process data and image data includes: receiving a user operation to specify the start time of playback of data to be played back; determining the process data corresponding to the playback start time specified by the user based on the elapsed time from the acquisition start time and reading the subsequent process data from the storage device; determining the image data corresponding to the playback start time specified by the user based on the elapsed time from the acquisition start time and reading the subsequent image data from the storage device; and displaying the read process data and image data.

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